Few artists turn vulnerability into art quite like Kali Uchis. On Sincerely, her fifth studio album, the artist lays herself bare and transforms each track into a little letter with a dedication. Between Colombia and Virginia, and already crowned as the ethereal queen of contemporary R&B, she opens herself up completely and lets us read her from the inside out. The result: an intimate, elegant album and, above all, a deeply human one. As though with each listen, we uncover another page from her diary.
After riding the wave of Orquídeas’ Latin success, breaking records with telepatía, and dominating charts, festivals and red carpets, Kali decides to stop. She breathes, turns inwards, and gifts us an album that doesn’t aim for the top of the global charts, but for the centre of the chest. Sincerely, is her most existential album to date, and also her most sincere – pardon the redundancy (and the accuracy of the title). From the very first note of Heaven is a Home…, it’s clear that there are no filters or formulas here. Just unvarnished emotions floating over minimalist productions, soft textures, and a voice that sings to heal. And not just herself. All of us.
Even if it wasn’t her main intention, the album is a testament to her mastery and versatility. There’s vintage-tinged doo-wop on All I Can Say, subtle breakbeats in Daggers!, and a retro-futurist ode to the most celestial R&B on Sunshine & Rain…, where her mother’s voice – in the form of a voice note for her grandson – reminds us that this album is also an altar. A farewell. A tribute.
Because yes, behind the ethereal glow and soft synths lies a profound grief. The recent loss of her mother shades many of the songs, as does the birth of her son. Between sorrow and celebration, Kali finds her own kind of balance — and does so without pretence, with the elegance of someone who no longer needs to explain anything in order to express everything.
ILYSMIH (I Love You So Much It Hurts) is one of the album’s most tender and honest moments. Written while she was recovering from childbirth, it includes her baby’s laughter as part of the production. A song that encapsulates motherhood and love in its purest form.
And, as always in the Uchis universe, there’s aesthetic, symbolism and ritual. Sincerely, is full of natural references (rain, wind, sun, angels, silk) connecting with that organic inspiration that has always guided the artist. She doesn’t write from calculation, but from what flows through her life. And it shows.
Tracks like Silk Lingerie or Territorial reveal her more sensual and flirtatious side, but also a firm one. She’s no longer here for anyone to step onto the ground she’s built with sweat, tears, and vision. Because Sincerely, may sound soft and delicate, but it also has claws. This is Kali Uchis as we’ve never seen her before: shattered and whole at once.
Musically, the album is eclectic yet coherent. There’s soul, ballads, a hint of funk, echoes of 2000s pop, and that mystical brand of R&B that’s become her signature. But above all, there is truth. And that is, perhaps, the word that best defines this record.
Sincerely, doesn’t aim to reaffirm Kali as an artist; she already is one. What it does is remind us that she is also human. That beneath all the aesthetic, the voice and the talent, there is someone who feels deeply. It is a scar, a letter written without a draft, and it’s the closest we’ve ever been to the heart of Kali Uchis. And perhaps, thanks to her, to our own as well.
